Project Game! (Categories, Other Tags N→Z)

So I wanna take this opportunity to talk about the business model of NintendObserver and what I want to make out of it. As you may have noticed, there are no ads on NintendObserver. If you’ve seen one, check your browser’s plug-ins. There’s also a tiny number of official YouTube channels that have ads on their videos, though. (Looking at you, Yatch Club Games, Capcom, SEGA…) But no. There are no ads on NintendObserver. Period.

The first reason for that is because I believe information should be free. What should not be free, however, is the hard work and the effort that is put into retrieving, organizing and overall just making this information available. Your sibling is not gonna ask you to spend the next thirty seconds yearning at some item before they let you know that your house is on fire. However, they could find you very grateful for doing something in return for their basically helping in saving your life.

The second reason is because… Well… Essentially… Running a videogame website that focuses exclusively on Nintendo, their games, their consoles and the games their partners make on their consoles is effectively an ad for Nintendo in and out itself. Therefore, I’d find myself pretty embarrassed if on an article for a game that is (also) on Nintendo there were an ad for that same game on other platforms. …Awkward to say the least.

But I think the most important reason is that the ad-based business model and its frenetic pursuit of traffic and attention for money is diametrically opposed to learning about videogames and actually playing them. Reggie talked about it in an interview way back in saying that Nintendo competes not just in the videogame industry, but in the entertainment industry as a whole. For them, every minute you spend on YouTube or Netflix is a minute you’re not spending playing Nintendo. And for me, every hour you waste entertaining a troll and refreshing that URL is an hour you’re not investing in actually playing videogames. (No wonder I whoop your ass in Splatoon 2.)

I think the videogame news industry needs a brand-new business model, and that’s what I’m here to achieve. A business model that puts players at its core, not as mere cogs in a machine but as the very foundation which allows the site to live, thrive and grow into a successful business, maybe even one capable of influencing the entire industry. As such, I truly hope you’ll help support me on my journey. (For access to NintendObs, you can always use PayPal below instead of Tipeee.)